When a printer prints document data, image data, or the like generated by an application program for document processing, image processing, or the like that is executed by a computer, the user can change printing settings within the range of functions provided by the application, printer, operating system, and the like. In general, printing settings are given for each printing job which is a printing processing execution unit for a set of data to be printed, control codes, and the like. For example, when the user is to print one document at different settings, parts having common settings are printed as one printing job. The user must perform this operation for a plurality of printing settings, and then combine printouts into a document. In other words, as far as data are printed by one printing job, common printing settings are applied to each part.
For this reason, one printing job cannot include partially different printing settings such as double-sided printing parts and single-sided printing parts. To print a document including double-sided printing parts and single-sided printing parts, only the following methods are selected.
(1) As described above, double-sided printing parts and single-sided printing parts are printed by separate printing jobs, and then combined into a document by the user.
(2) As for single-sided printing parts, blank pages corresponding to lower surfaces are inserted in advance by the user every other printing page (which is one surface of a printing sheet and also called a physical page). A completed document is printed in accordance with double-sided printing setting. In this case, blank pages may be inserted by executing a program having a blank sheet insertion function by a computer.
Method (1) causes the user to work, and the user is constrained to printing work at low productivity.
In method (2), originally unnecessary blank pages must be printed. This prolongs the time taken for printing processing, decreasing the productivity. When a maintenance contract to charge the user for each page is made for a printer for use between the user and the manufacturer or the like, the user is also charged even for a blank page inserted at a single-sided printing part.
In this manner, single-sided printing or double-sided printing can only be set for each printing job. Demands have arisen for dividing a printing job and generating the entity of data to be printed in accordance with printing settings.